Air cleaner



A. A. BULL AIR CLEANER Jan. 14, 1930.

Original Filed Aug.4, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet l LW' 'EN TOR.

A. A. BULL AIR CLEANER Jan. 14, 1930.

Original Filed Aug.'4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. fer/WP flfiuu.

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i atented Jan. 14, 193G ARTHUR A. BULL, OF DETBOIT, MICHIGAN AIR CLEANER Continuation of application Serial No. 729,866, filed August 4, 1924. This application filed September 30, 1925. Serial No. 59,579.

This invention relates to an air cleaner and espec1ally an air cleaner for separating the dust and grit from the air that is taken into the carburetor of an internal combustion engine. This cleaner eflects the separation of the suspended matter in the air by inertia forces and centrifugal forces. The separated matter is then expelled from the cleaner by means of a small pressure built up by the inertia forces and bygravity. This will be more fully explained hereinafter.

Furthermore, provision is made for automatically adjusting the cross section of the air intake in accordance with the throttle opening so as to get sufiicient velocity at all speeds toaflord the forces that eflect the separation and also so as to get suflicient air volume when the throttle is wide open, or nearly wide open.

This application is a continuation of my abandoned application Serial No. 729,866.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a part of an internal combustion engine with my air cleaner installed thereon.

Fig. 2is a plan view of the cleaner.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 3* is a section on the line 3 a of Fig. 3.

. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the separator with the shell broken away to show the general construction.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the spider that is sup portedin the shell.

Fig. 6 is a graphic view showing how the vanes operate in securing air volume and air velocity adjustment.

I use a sheet metal shell (1, which has a raised bottom I). This forms an incline in all directions from the center of the bottom so as to tend to chute all the separated matter into the corner between the 'bottomof the shell and the upright walls, where it is expelled through the ports 0. A hood d is provided over this raised bottom, which tends to shield the collected matter from the swirl which. takes place above the hood, and which might permit some of the already precipitated particles being caught up again and drawn into the carburetor.

tically moving spider, The nut is is provided with a screw thread m pressed therein,

which engages the screw thread n of the thimble 0, which is clamped in the split end of the cast elbow g. This nut is provided with a flange 12 which engages the top of the spider The nut k has an arm 12 which is connected with the carburetor throttle by means of the link 0. Hence when. the throttle opens wide the nut travels upwardly in a helical path, thereby allowing the spring vanes to force the spider j upwardly. This tends to straighten out the vanes and change the inclination of the same, thus increasing the cross sectional area of the air passage. When the nut is forced down. it forces the spider down and flattens out the vanes and reduces the size of the air passage. As the vanes rise, the greater the inclination and the greater is the cross section of the opening,

;.which increases the volume of air drawn into the carburetor. It is well understood that the greater the 1 volume of fluid drawn through a restricted orifice the greater the velocity at and immediately behindthe ori- -fice. Nowit is desirable, in order to get-a uniformly eificient separating action, to have the velocity of the air substantially the same at all speeds of the engine, the separation depending upon forces which depend upon the velocity and the volume of the air. The vanes being curved and located as they are on thevertically traveling spider turn the incoming air and give it-a tangential impingement upon the inner surface of the shell as it enters the shell. This causes the air to swirl around the inner wall of the shell, throwing out the suspended particles by centrifugal force at the outside of the air our.-

bottom through the ports a, which are pro-' rents. Hence, they drop to the bottom of the shell both by gravity and by inertia forces, for the pull of the engine suction is up through the thimble 0, which therefore requires a shar turnin of the fluid and the heavier 'partic es there y tend to separate and drop to the bottom corners of the receptacle. I ,have found by actual tests that this swirling current of air which is drawn into the shell builds up a slight pressure at the bottom corner of the shell which will expel the collected dirt and separated matter at the vided' with small lips a: to arrest and direct the precipitated matter out of the shell. This, therefore, afiords a self-cleansing air cleaner, and no great amount of dirt can at any time rcollect to interfere with its action.

I do not claim broadly in this application the general design of the shell and vanes to operate the air cleaner, but only the special vane construction and adjustable intake. The general design of the cleaner is claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 26,860. x i

What I claim is:

1. In an air cleaner, the combination of a shell having a closed bottom provided with one or more outlet orifices, means for gradually and varingly tapering the air stream and thereby varying the velocity of the air input into said shell, and means insaid shell for separating oiit the suspended matter in the air.

2. In an air cleaner, the combination of a shell having a closed bottom provided with one or more outlet orifices, and means .for giving theair input a swirling action, and for also gradually and varyingly constricting the air stream and thereby varying the velocity of air input.

3. In an air cleaner, the combination of a cylindrical shell open at the top, a spider supported near the top, a thimble supported at the center of the spider and having a con nection with a source of suction, a movable spider provided with a pluralit of vanes arranged around the thimble an arranged to give the incoming air currents and suspended matter a tangential direction when introduced into the top of the shell.

4. The combination with a carburetor having a throttle, of an air cleaner for separating the suspended matter in the air and provided with means for adjusting the cross section of the air passage in the cleaner, said adjusting means having a connection with said throttle to adjust the cross section of suchair passage in accordance with the throttle opening.

5. The combination with a source of suction provided with regulating means, of an air cleaner provided with devices for separating the suspended matter in the air by means of forces generated by the air volume and velocity, some of said devices having a connection with said regulating means vfor regulating the cross section of the air passage into the cleaner in accordance with the regulating means in the suction source.

6. In an air cleaner, the combination of a shell, a connection between the shell and the source of suction, means for giving the air a swirlin action in the shell comprising a series of exible vanes, and means for flexing the vanes in such a way as to alter the inclination of the varies for the purpose of regulating the cross section of the air passage.

7 In an air cleaner, the combination of a shell, a connection between the shell and a source of suction, a spider slidably supported by the shell and carrying a plurality of spring vanes inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shell for giving the air a swirling action when passing into the shell, and means for moving the said spider to change the angle of inclination of said vanes for the purpose of regulating the cross sectional area of the air passage.

8. In an air cleaner, the combination of a shell, a thimble supported therein and having a connection with a source of suction, a spider slidably supported by the shell and carrying a plurality of spring vanes arranged around said thimble, said vanes inclined to the longi tudinal axis of the shell for giving the air a swirling action in passing into the shell, and means for moving said spider to change the angle of inclination of said vanes for the purpose of regulating the cross sectional area of the air passage.

x 9. Inan air cleaner, the combination of a shell, a spider supported near the to of the shell, a thimble supported in part y said spider and positioned within, the shell and having a connection with a source of suction, a second spider supported by the shell and carrying a plurality of spring vanes arranged around the thimble and between'th'e spiders, said vanes inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shell, and means for moving the second mentionedspider toward or away from the first mentioned spider for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the angle of inclination of said vanes for the purpose of regulating the cross sectional area of the air assage.

10. In an air cleaner, the'combination of a shell, a spider supported near the top of the shell, a thimble having a thread on its outer surface and having a connection with a source of suction and supported in part by the spider, a second spider slidably supported by the shell and carrying a plurality of spring vanes positioned between the two spiders and inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shell for giving the air a swirling action when passing into the shell, and a nut engaging the thread in the thimble and positioned above the second mentioned spider, whereby a turning of the nut causes the same to travel up or down in a helical path for moving the second mentioned spider with respect to the first mentioned spider to change the angle of inclination of the vanes for the purpose of regu.- lating the cross sectional area of the air passage. 11. In an air cleaner, the combination 01 a shell, a spider supported near the top of the shell, a thimble supported in part by said spider and positioned within the shell and having a connection with a source of suction, a second spider slidably supported by the shell and carrying a plurality of spring vanes positioned between the spiders and inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shell for giving the air a swirling action when passing into the shell, the first mentioned spider provided with channeled portions for receiving the free en of said spring vanes, and means for moving said second mentioned spider toward the first mentioned spider, whereby the spring vanes are flattened, the free ends of which engage in the channeled portions can ried by the first mentioned spider to limitthe movement of "he second mentioned spider to-- ward the first mentioned spider, and whereby when the spider actuating means is released the second mentioned spider is caused to ri e by the iiherent spring forces of the vanes, tend g to straighten them to change the angle of 'i'iclination of the vanes for the purpose so of -creasing the cross sectional area or the in ai passage.

an air cleaner, t ie combination of a smell, a connect-Jinn between the shell and source of sucticn, a spider slidahly support he shell by a tcngue-and-groove con i and carrying a plurality of spring to the lcngitudinal axis or: the aying the air a swirling action when. 1 ..nto the shell, and means for moving to change the angle or" inclination f vanes for the purpose of regulating the cr ss sectional area of the air passage.

3 An air cleaner having in combination, casing having an entrance opening and an opening, means for varying the area of whereby the velocity of the air on entering will. he relatively high at all rates of flow, means for causing the airtcmake a sharp turn immediately upon entering the casing eby solid particles carried by the air will be separate therefrom and means for entangling the dust thus separated so that it will not reenter the air stream 14. An air cleaner having in combination, a casing having an entrance opening and an exit cpening, means for varying the area of the entrance opening in accordancerwith the volume oi air passing through the cleaner, whereby the velocity of the air on. entering will be substantially the same at all rates of flow, means for causing the air to make a sharp turn immediately upon entering the casing whereby solid particles carried by the air Wlll be separated therefrom.

15. An air cleaner having in combination, a casing having an entrance opening and an exit opening, means for gradually constricting the air stream and varying the area of the entrance opening in accordance with the volume of air passing through the cleaner, whereby the velocity of the air on entering will be substantially the same at all rates of flow, means for causing the air to make a sharp turn immediately upon entering the casing whereby solid particles carried by the air will be separated therefrom.

in testimony whereof l have afixed my 39 signature.

ARTHUR A. BULL. 

